Fred Eaglesmith Travelling Steam Show

3/4/2014

Angela Cato, Arts & Cultural Services
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316-303-8639

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World-traveled rock ’n’ roll show coming to Cowtown March 11

The Fred Eaglesmith Travelling Steam Show is rolling into Wichita for Cowtown’s 2014 Empire House Live! performance series. The concert is scheduled for 8 p.m. on Tuesday, March 11 in Cowtown’s Empire House Theater. Tickets are $15 in advance at WichitaTIX.com or $18 at the door. Tickets may also be purchased by calling (316) 303-8100.

The Fred Eaglesmith Travelling Steam Show is one of the last full-time travelling rock ’n’ roll productions around that includes music, theatrics and comedic monologues. The band performs in Steampunk-inspired outfits and plays original music infused with rock ’n’ roll, Motown, folk, country and Tejano influences. The songs are full of richly drawn characters, clever ideas and great lines. According to frontman Fred Eaglesmith:

"What we're really doing is reminding people that before the business took everything over, rock and roll was all about coloring outside the lines," Eaglesmith said. "It was a movement – an escape and an alternative to everything we were all being told we had to do. The best moment in any show is when I see that understanding dawn on someone's face ... when they realize that truth and start to really feel that freedom again."

Eaglesmith is not only the star of show but also the bus driver and chief mechanic. He drives an average of four to eight hours between shows in his converted 1990 Bluebird tour bus. He outfitted the bus with a system of filters and pumps he designed himself to run on waste vegetable oil recycled from deep fryers in venues and restaurants along the road.

Unlike many of today’s artists, touring is not something he does some of the time or only in support of a new record. The band’s busy itinerary adds up to more than 270 days on the road each year. Eaglesmith’s songwriting has also earned him multiple International awards and his songs have been covered by some of the biggest names in Nashville including Toby Keith, Alan Jackson and Miranda Lambert. His music has been featured in films and television scores including “True Blood” and “Grimm.” The Fred Eaglesmith Travelling Steam Show has also appeared as a musical guest on the “Late Show With David Letterman.”

Established in 1952, Cowtown is one of the oldest living-history museums in the Midwest. The Museum preserves our community’s history by immersing visitors in experiences that represent life in Wichita from 1865 to 1880. Historic Wichita Cowtown Inc. works in partnership with the City of Wichita to enhance and further the Museum and its mission.